Legends of Alagaésia: Arkane
by Ark Dragon 13
Summary: When a young boy named Arkane rescues the final dragon egg from Galbatorix's castle, what will happen when the egg hatches for him?
1. Prologue

Arkane ducked down as two guards passed. "Shit!" he swore under his breath. Behind him, he heard the guards running through the hallway. His matted hair hung down in front of his hair as he clutched the silver dragon egg. More and more people rushed passed his hiding spot. He spotted the door far ahead, covered with swarming guards. His pointed ears twitched. He began sneaking in the shadows as he had done many times before. In his other hand, he held a beautiful, red blade- Zar'Roc, sword of Murtagh and Marzan. Up above, he heard the roar of a dragon. "God Dammit!" he said, breaking into a run. "Aura nah Brisingr!" he yelled, and a fire shield burst to life around him. He charged through the guards, sweeping with the ruby blade and protecting the silver egg. The guards who had not been thrown fifty feet by the shield ran after him, yelling like mad men. Arkane raised his hand and yelled out, "Jierda!" The door shattered, huge slabs of wood raining down on the soldiers. Screams of pain rang out in the hall as Arkane leapt over millions of bodies strewn askew all over the ground and bounded out of the hall. Taking a careful space between two huge rocks, he slid along silently. For hours on end he walked, until finally he couldn't see the great fortress behind him.

Arkane let out a loud, relieved laugh, as rare as a laugh from him was. Jamming the ruby blade into the rock, he sat down and began stroking the egg lovingly. _I need to get this back to Ellesmera,_ he thought as he tapped it quietly. He couldn't wait to see the beautiful city again. Everyone would welcome him openly this time, unlike the last time he had visited the city. He took it upon himself to finally meet the princess of Ellesmera, Alerhad- daughter of Eragon and Arya. She was even more beautiful than her mother.

Not being one to waste time, Arkane retrieved Zar'Roc and set out for Du Weldenvarden and Ellesmera.


	2. None Shall Live!

None Shall Live

Thick forest totally engrossed Arkane as he continued along the winding path through Du Weldenvarden. He had been traveling, stopping to rest only shortly. After awhile, he came to a very large hut, fit for many to live in. But the hut was completely deserted- the only sign of life a knife stuck straight into a wooden bread cutting board and several bowls. _Strange…_ Arkane thought. _I feel almost at home here…_He wrapped Zar'Roc in the tablecloth from a large table and placed it under a bed. He soon got a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace. Fearing nothing, he laid in one of the beds, curling himself up tightly. Closing his eyes, he found what he had expected to be calm, happy sleep. But instead, he found himself in the middle of a nightmare.

_A child of six, completely surrounded by strangers- big, strong men wearing the crimson tunic of Galbatorix, but the boy did not seem to know. He looked at them playfully, smiling as even more of them crowded around him. One of the men barked an order in a cruel voice. A man with black hair stepped forward. A ruby sword rested on his side and his palm shown unknown to the boy- a Gëdway Insignia. The boy gasped in glee and ran towards the man. Several of the strangers rushed forward, but the man held up his hand. They stopped immediately, wondering what the black-haired man would do._

"_You want to play with this?" he asked in a soothing tone. The boy nodded, happiness practically bursting from his eyes. The man unsheathed the sword. Holding the hilt to the boy, he smiled kindly. But just as the boy reached out to grab the handle, he twisted the sword. The soldiers laughed harshly as the boy fell to the ground, clutching a huge wound that ran from his right knee all the way to his left eye and screaming in anguish. The black-haired man picked the boy up like he weighed nothing and tossed him aside almost casually._

_At that exact moment, the boy's parents jumped from the house with his three brothers and two sisters, his aunt and uncle also leaving. They stared in horror as the boy rolled back in forth on the ground, riling in pain. All struck dumb but the boy's younger brother, who didn't understand what was happening, stared at the crimson demons surrounding them. The boy's younger brother laughed at the boy. "Silly brutah, tats not hows ya dossits. Yous dossits lika dis." He began rolling next to his brother, but his mother swiftly picked him up. _

"_Shush now, little one." she whispered. She looked at the black-haired man bravely. "May we help you? I believe we have already paid our taxes, and we have not committed crime."_

_The black-haired man smiled, this time showing no kind of kindness. "You know full well why we are here, woman. You know full well we have discovered your connection with the Varden and the elves, not to mention harboring traitors to the king." He motioned towards the boy's aunt and uncle. They backed up, eyes alight with fear._

"_These traitors are family to us. We would rather kill ourselves than let them be sentenced to slow death. And we do not deny our connection to the Varden- we enforce it. Once we die, we will be avenged. I do not know who will do it, but take my word for it. One day, Murtagh, one day you will wake up and find that everything precious to you has disappeared- your sword, your dragon, your authority- and your life."_

_Murtagh roared in anger. "Kill them all! Kill each of them slowly, painfully! And make the woman witness it all! None shall live! NONE SHALL LIVE!"_

_The boy, still struck blind by the red sword, rolled down a hill into a small pit. Blood covered his entire body head to toe, and flesh was fully visible under the torn skin. As he lost consciousness, he could hear Murtagh's outraged shout shattering the normally serene area of the quiet forest._

"_NONE SHALL LIVE!"_

_Arkane woke with a start, memory flooding through him. Sweat beaded his brow and he looked around the cabin, and realization joined the memory. His hand slowly rose to the thick scar plated across his eye. Healed by the elves of Ellesmera, he had completely regained sight in that eye, but the scar would always remain. Tears sprang into his eyes as he thought of his relatives, all tortured and killed mercilessly. He rose and removed Zar'Roc from its place under the bed. Undoing the wrapping, he lifted the blade, rage and fury completely pounding through him like the hammers of the dwarves of Farthen Dür._

"_Hear me Murtagh!" he said quietly to himself. "One day, I swear by my whole being I shall meet you in battle and slay you where you stand! I will avenge each member of my family as my mother said. I will kill you with your own blade, thus also killing your dragon and taking your authority as my own! I will hunt down each of the horde that slaughtered my family, and I will return the favor! I will kill them all, leaving no man standing." he threw back his head. "DO YOU HEAR ME, SHUR'TAGAL?" _

_His voice echoed around the hollow cabin. Stabbing the sword into the ground, he stomped back to his bed. As he lay, his heart pumping furiously, he thought of his murdered family and the oath he had made. As sleep found him once more, a whisper escaped through his closed lips. _

"_None shall live…."_


	3. The Dragon

Twilight

Arkane reached the first Elvin city, Osilon, two days after he left the cabin. But he did not stop to reminisce with his old friends, continually heading for the capital city. Days followed that. As Arkane got closer, he began slowing down from sheer exhaustion, taking breaks more regularly. One night, as he lay close to a fire, he examined the egg more carefully. Stroking it gently, he rapped it once, then suddenly paused as he heard almost a responding tap. He looked at the egg even more curiously. Peering at the smooth, silver surface, he noticed a small line running diagonal over the glossy shell. 

Arkane didn't think of it at first, but after a second he heard another rap. He looked at it again, finding another small line. "It's a crack," he muttered under his breath. Rubbing the shell, crack after crack after crack appeared on the surface. A smile spreading slowly across his lips, he faced a huge revelation. 

"It's not cracking. It's hatching."

After what seemed like countless hours, a tiny silver head poked out of a hole in the side of the shell. Arkane gasped. Never before had he seen anything as marvelous, destructive, or adorable as what was facing him in that instant. Slowly, very slowly, the rest of the puny dragon hatched from the egg. Reaching out gently, Arkane wondered at the skinny spines and small wings, awe completely overwhelming him. Suddenly, the little dragon snatched its head forward, and darkness overcame Arkane.

Arkane woke about a few hours later. The little dragon lay curled up next to his head, eyes wide open yet looking so peaceful, its horned crest resting gently on his folded wings. Arkane smiled at the small, silver creature and touched its head. Slowly, very slowly, he turned his hand centimeter by centimeter. And there it was. 

The Gedwëy Insignia shone bright and new on Arkane's palm. Arkane closed his fist and looked at the sky. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. The little dragon's head popped up from its resting place on its wings, startled by the sudden sound. Arkane rubbed the creature's head fondly, almost snatching his hand back when he heard a purr that sounded like a growl. But the silver drake poked its head up, big green eyes almost smiling. Arkane couldn't resist. He started petting it again.

_Okay, first order of business is to find out if it's a boy or a girl_, Arkane thought to himself. However, no matter where he looked, there was no sign of female or male genital. _Guess we'll have to wait till you can talk_, he thought, still rubbing the scaly head. The dragon let out the purr-growl again, letting its body shiver slightly. Arkane smiled. Down right adorable.

Arkane set up an extra bedroll that night and put it a few inches away from his own. He didn't put up a tent. He didn't own one. But he didn't care. As he lay under the stars, he looked over at the dragon. _I want to name it… but I can't until it speaks… _he thought again, setting Zar'Roc beside him. He lay back again, soon drifting into a deep slumber.

He woke at the time he always did- the brink of dawn. He yawned, looking up at the almost white sky. Almost. Taking Zar'Roc from its resting place beside him, the dragon shifted. Arkane looked at him or her and smiled, still only half-awake. The dragon flapped its still developing wings and soared up to Arkane's shoulder. Surprisingly, it was heavy. As Arkane went about his usual business, the little dragon perched lazily. By eight, they were already well on their way. Every so often, Arkane would stop and look around, searching for any sign of danger. As they stopped for the night, Arkane realized the dragon had gotten even heavier. When he looked at it, it even seemed bigger. Weird.

Arkane slept easily that night. Not surprising, the twilight had come quickly. Arkane loved the twilight- it always reminded him of the first time he had visited Ellesméra. It was just at the brink of twilight, and the elves had found him unconscious from blood loss. Not surprisingly, he almost died. If it were not for the elve's healing properties, he would have. But now he was alive and well- and with a shock, he realized something else.

He was immortal.

Halflings- half elf, half humans- were not immortal. That was one of the traits that made them half human. Arkane was a halfling. The concept of him being immortal never _needed to occur to him- until now. With the dragon, he now had immortality- real, legitimate immortality. He looked over to the silver dragon. How could something so little give so much? _

_Lying his head back, Arkane remembered twilight. Somehow, he made some strange analogy between the dragon and twilight, when he also remembered the dragon had hatched during twilight. Staring up at the stars, he then decided, then and there, what the dragons name would be. Whether it was a boy or a girl, the name was perfect. Arkane reached over and pet the dragon's head gently._

"_Have a good nights sleep… Twilight."_


	4. Ellesméra

Ellesméra

Arkane had not been to Ellesméra in four years.

He had completely forgotten its beautiful splendor, with the kind elfish people always happy. And as Arkane arrived at the gates leading into Ellesméra, he was instantly reminded of its splendor. It was as beautiful as ever, with their houses and lamps dimly lighting up the forest. But something was wrong.

No kind elves were there to greet him. The only elves in site were those standing guard at the gate, who looked at him curiously, although it seemed they almost recognized him. They held out their blades. "Who are you who knows so well the location of Ellesméra?" one asked.

Arkane couldn't help it. He smiled a little bit. "Do you not recognize the scar, Lorengram?"

Lorengram's eyes showed surprise, but he studied Arkane all the same. He nodded. "Welcome back, Arkane. Unfortunately, no one will be in a hurry to see you… Islanzadi has died."

Arkane was completely horrified. He had not expected this. "Is the funeral occurring right now? In the Garden?" Lorengram nodded. Arkane closed his eyes, letting it all sink in truly. He couldn't believe it. He had only met Islanzadi once, when she had told him he was a halfling. But even so, she was one of the kindest people he knew, and he also knew it was a tragedy to all of Alagaësia. She was to be a great aspect in finishing the war…

"I shall attend the funeral." Arkane said, and Lorengram let him pass. Taking out his best tunic, Arkane changed in the empty street. Then, making his way slowly to the Garden. In his mind, he tried connecting with Twilight, whom he had recently found out was a boy. They had only communicated thrice in the past three weeks since he hatched. They communicated, and Arkane told him to wait just outside the Garden. Putting Zar'Roc in a sheath and hastening the blade to his side, Arkane entered the Garden. Immediately, he knew the funeral had not yet started. Why? All of the eyes were on him.

As he walked forward, millions of Elvin eyes followed him. He made sure the Gëdway Insignia was hidden as he walked down the solemn isle of seats. Stopping in the middle of the podium, he scanned for an empty seat. There was one row completely empty near the back, and some were empty in the middle near where he was. Choosing the middle, he walked past several Elvin men and woman, all of whom stared at him curiously. He chose the seat nearest to the isle going down the middle. While he waited for the funeral to begin, he went over his plan with Twilight. Then, all of a sudden, a chorus started singing mournfully. The doors to the back, where Arkane had entered, opened wide, and a coffin was carried in by two elves, a man and a woman. Several women began to weep heavily, as men bowed their heads with respect.

Arkane himself bowed his head. As the coffin passed him, he saw the girl had her hair in a tight ponytail behind her. She was incredibly beautiful, and looked very strong. The man had straw-like hair that was very short, and Arkane gasped as he saw the Gëdway Insignia on his palm. This was Eragon, the Shadeslayer. Never did Arkane expect to see him carrying the Elvin Queen's coffin. And Arkane could only guess that the woman was Arya.

As everyone stood there, Arkane realized how much they truly needed hope… and he could give them that hope. As the funeral truly got underway, he realized it was all in the ancient language. This was hopeless. Arkane could not follow it so fluently.

After the funeral was over, everyone remained to pray. That was when Arkane made his move.

Entering the aisle, he walked forward to the huge podium in which Islanzadi was buried. Everyone looked at him, taken aback that he dared to approach the stadium. As he stepped onto the podium, someone made a move to stop him, but Eragon held up his hand to stop the man. As Arkane turned to face the elves of Ellesméra, he realized he would have to speak up. The place was huge. The podium he was standing on was backed by a lake, covered in trees. Arkane scanned over the crowd, and felt millions of eyes tense on him. Arkane swallowed nervously. "What Alagaësia needs now is hope." Arkane started his supposedly huge speech with a statement of complete obviousness. "No, Alagaësia needs a miracle. Last year, however, some of that hope was diminished at the Battle at the Burning Plains." Eragon hung his head, but Arkane continued.

"There, Eragon faced his brother, Murtagh. Murtagh took his brother's sword, previously his fathers- the blade Zar'Roc. Hope seemed to falter worse than a flame. It was then I realized Eragon could not do it alone." Silence followed as Arkane thought of what he would say next. "Many of you look upon me, thinking that this human boy has no right to talk about Eragon Shadeslayer this way. You look at me without recognition. Why do you do this? Some of you I have known for years. And I will give you reason to believe that I do have a right to speak my mind." He put one hand on his sword, seemingly just resting his hand. "After the Battle at the Burning Plains, Murtagh brought his father, Morzan's, sword back to Galbatorix's castle." Suddenly, he pulled Zar'Roc from its sheath. Several men jumped up to stop him, but they instantly realized the meaning of the action.

The sight of the ruby blade stunned the residents of Ellesméra. Eragon and Arya took a step back. Arkane smiled and held the blade above his head. It shone fiercely as the sun hit it. "I snuck into Galbatorix's castle and stole this blade. With it, I pray that Alagaësia gains hope. On this day of mourning also be a day of celebration." Arkane had brought the sword down again. Tapping into Twilight's mind, he told him it was almost time.

Arkane stuck the blade in the ground. "I pray that with this, Eragon will overcome the Empire- with help." He turned to Arya. "Your Majesty. Will the elves give assistance to the Varden?" Arya looked a little surprised. She then nodded. Arkane smiled. "Then I will do all I can." Arya looked at him, even more confused. "How can you help?"

Arkane knew. It was time. He signaled to Twilight. Immediately, he rose the sword… and Twilight burst from the lake. The entire crowd gasped, taken aback. It was perfectly planned out. He flew in a glittering arc, going to the back of the podium and flying straight down the aisle to Arkane. It flew in a tight circle maneuver upwards before landing with a slight thud behind Arkane. Arkane petted him fondly. "Good job, boy." Arkane could sense Twilight's pride.

Eragon and Arya were speechless. Then they broke into laughter. Soon, the full crowd burst into a huge applause. Arkane turned to them and raised his hand humbly. The applause grew louder. Things could not have been different from his first visit to Ellesméra.

And Arkane had to admit. He was loving every minute of it.


End file.
